


The Break That Will Make It Okay

by Faustess



Series: No Good to Go Alone [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Aftercare, Fluff, Fucking Machines, M/M, Mild Smut, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, POV Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Slash, Protective Bucky Barnes, Swearing, Tony Stark Needs Sleep, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Touch-Starved, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustess/pseuds/Faustess
Summary: Tony's had kind of a dry spell lately.  Soooo... he builds a solution - better mousetrap so to speak.  Can a machine really take the place of human contact, though?These are ending up being a collection of episodes, rather than chapters.  They're roughly chronological (if they're not, I'll try to make that clear).Tony Stark Bingo - Space S5 - fucking machines





	The Break That Will Make It Okay

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, if you're here for hardcore smut alone, you'll be very, very disappointed. How can one end up with a mostly fluff story with the prompt "Fucking Machines?" **I. Don't. Know.** Nevertheless, here we are. There's a tad of smut, but it's not explicit - that's why I upped the rating on this episode. I think if you liked _Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby_ , you'll like this one too. 
> 
> If you want to read, but want to skip the part with the smut, start with "And stubbed his toe." to be safe. :)
> 
> Episode title is a lyric quotation from Sarah McLachlan's "Angel." Also, a shout-out to Delphyn for her invaluable beta-ing and to rebelmeg for convincing me this was worthwhile to finish. You two are rockstars!! :D

It’d been nearly eight months since the last time Tony broke up with Pepper. She had assured him in no uncertain terms that this was the _last_ time. Single and past the point in his life where random hook-ups sounded appealing sucked on so many levels.

Meeting people? _Dating?_ Working full time as Stark Industries’ lead design engineer, consulting for the rebuilt version of SHIELD, and improving the Avengers’ equipment didn’t really leave a lot of time for forging new relationships. Sooooo… Tony’d done what he always did – invented a solution.

In retrospect, Tony thought maybe he should’ve made it more human-looking, but at the time, he’d just been really, _really_ desperate to get laid. The machine did that pretty well. Setting it up in the workshop’s back office had been a master stroke (so to speak) – years ago Pepper had set up a small bedroom back there with a bed, shower – everything he needed to stay healthy and sane.

He’d never actually _used_ it though, and no one else used the workshop space…. Soooooo… all Tony had needed to do was install some ankle cuffs and hand grips on the bed, so he didn’t have to concentrate on staying in the same position. Could just focus on the sensation.

A later upgrade included a remote, so he could adjust the speed and depth of penetration. It was still somewhat distracting to have to pull himself out of his fantasy to adjust it though. Better than having to do it manually though.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Generally, Tony only used the fucking machine when he knew most everyone else would be asleep. His mistake had been that he lost track of time occasionally. At least the workshop was sound-proof. The back room wasn’t though if someone was inside the workshop.

He’d never admit it to anyone, but his current crush was James Barnes, the Winter Soldier. For all that had happened to Barnes, the man still radiated deadly precision and competence – even if he did have trouble relating to people off the battlefield. Fantasizing, Tony didn’t have to worry about the messy details of relationships and could just focus on the idea of those hands gripping his hips, pulling him back, adjusting to improve leverage, and setting the pace.

Closing his eyes, Tony could imagine the difference between the two hands – how they’d feel against his skin. Wondered how much sensory input Barnes got from the metal hand… what Barnes’ metal fingers tasted like. He groaned, thinking about Barnes reaching around to stroke him off while fucking him into the mattress. Tony was so wrapped in his fantasy, he thought he could even smell the faint scent of bay rum with a touch of gun oil and leather that clung to Barnes – undetectable unless you were close enough to touch him.

That was when Tony, 1) realized he wasn’t alone; and 2) remembered he had an appointment he’d forgotten about with Barnes to maintain the sexy metal arm, but the Soldier hadn’t. Why was being accidentally discovered always hot when you imagined it, but cripplingly embarrassing in actuality?

Before Tony could stammer out something semi-coherent, he heard the rusty scrape of Barnes’ voice say, “Ne speshite…. Ya budu okhranyat' snaruzhi.” _Don’t rush…. I’ll guard outside._

It took a few minutes – and dropping the remote at an inopportune moment, but Tony managed to live through his mortification and even managed to finish. He didn’t know if that made the whole thing more humiliating or not. But at least for the moment, he didn’t care.

Legs shaking, he made his way to the shower to get cleaned up, dressed and back to work. One hand on the wall, Tony made it into the tiny en-suite bathroom. His legs felt like they were going to collapse under him. Closing his eyes with fatigue, Tony groped the rest of the way to the shower where he’d be able to lean in the corner to prop himself up.

And stubbed his toe.

Tony opened his eyes to see a plastic office chair with stainless steel legs in the shower stall. He sank into it just as his knees threatened to buckle. Sitting down made showering easier and gave his legs a chance to rest. The hot water licked his tired muscles and as he felt his body shedding the tension and aches built up over the course of the ‘session’ and through the last fourteen? hours he’d been working in the ‘shop.

After relaxing leisurely under the shower’s spray for longer than strictly necessary, Tony managed to wash his hair and clean up. Exiting the shower, he found two large fluffy red towels, which was also _odd_ since they weren’t the towels he’d left here. The ones that were usually in this small bathroom probably needed a wash and 2012 had apparently called wanting that shade of grey back since they were nowhere in sight. These new towels were even warm, as though they’d just been pulled out of the dryer.

Tony shrugged, dried off and made his way back to the tiny back office guestroom to find fresh sheets on the crisply made bed, and clean clothes folded on the bed. Including his favorite zip-up sweatshirt, clean t-shirt, and his softest lounge pants.

Standing stark naked, staring at this tableau, Tony decided that either A) he was dreaming, B) he’d had an aneurism, or C) he had a very kind stalker. Drugs slipped into a beverage was also possible, but unlikely on this particular occasion.

Well, whatever. He decided to get dressed anyway, retrieving a fresh pair of underwear from the room’s dresser. Pants halfway up, Tony decided this had to be a dream. The clothes? Towels? They were all from his apartment upstairs. They did _not_ just walk themselves down here like something out of a twisted Disney movie.

Who cares. _Ugh._ After finishing getting dressed, all he really wanted right now was a cup of tea – something warm and soothing, but not too harsh. Maybe hot cocoa.

He blinked. There was _not_ a steamy mug on the chair next to the bed. There couldn’t be. _What was this?_ Tony in Wonderland? He was gonna be soooo fucked when he woke up. Still, the steamy mug held what looked like tea and smelled like the peppermint vanilla tea Pepper had given him for his birthday.

Sipping the tea thoughtfully, Tony thought to himself that all it was missing was a label that said ‘drink me’ and it’d be topsy-turvy Wonderland. Opening the door, he stopped again. Slippers. The ugly, but very comfortable ones with fleece inside that Rhodey gave him for Christmas two years ago. _From the back of his closet._

Tony stepped into the slippers, still thinking. _No._ True, he was tired, but House Elves were _not_ really a thing. He walked into the workshop to see a different mug with a cover next to a bagel. Soup. _Of course._ Why not? At this point, if he woke up still sticky and sweaty in bed, he was gonna be gravely disappointed.

The soup smelled like instant chicken noodle, but it was tasty enough and the sesame bagel went well with it. Dunking his bagel in the soup, Tony caught motion in his peripheral vision and glanced up to see Barnes standing in the hallway outside the lab, waiting.

“Hey FRIDAY, disengage the door locks and let Barnes in.”

“Of course, Boss.” She sounded… pleased with herself. _Hmmm._

The Soldier walked in like he usually did, head down, peeking through his hair. He perched on his usual stool. He didn’t like the more comfortable chair with the armrests. He didn’t make eye contact, but that wasn’t unusual.

From around a bite of bagel, Tony said, “Sorry I kept you waiting.” He could feel the blush rushing back to his face and neck.

For a brief moment, the Soldier flicked his gaze up to look at Tony, then shrugging said in a harsh whisper, “Ty nuzhdalsya v tehnicheskom obsluzhivanii.” _You needed maintenance._

Tony paused, “Did you? Did _**you**_ do all this?” He waved the second half of the bagel for emphasis.

The Soldier nodded once, his face going from something like ‘sullen goth’ to Mr. Murder in a split second. What? Did he think Tony was _mad_? Ungrateful?

“Thank you.”

“Chto?” _What?_ The Soldier’s grey-blue eyes fixed on Tony, examining his face.

Still pink from the previous blush, Tony felt his face getting warmer, “I – It’s really nice, Snowflake. Thank you.” He felt like he was flailing, so words kept jumping out of his mouth, “Been awhile since anybody’s taken care of me like that. It’s… it’s nice.” _Just stop, Stark._ Your face probably looks like your head was replaced by a bearded tomato.

Tony watched the Soldier, feeling a little bolder now and noticed the barest pink spread across his cheeks, with slightly darker rose-colored patches forming on his neck. “Ty spal?” _Did you sleep?_

A little surprised by the question, Tony answered honestly, “Uh… no….”

The Soldier removed his metal arm from where he’d rested it on the workbench. “First sleep. Then work.”

“I’m a busy guy, WarGames. You can wait as long as you want, but I’ve got stuff I’ve gotta get done.”

Quirking an unimpressed eyebrow, the Soldier shook his head, “Arm maintenance overrides other work. Moya vstrecha sledujushhaya.” _My appointment is next._ He looked smug.

“That’s… vocational blackmail!” Tony didn’t feel so much outraged as a little irritated that it was the _Winter Soldier_ calling him out for his poor sleep habits.

However, the Soldier just shrugged and folded his arms over his chest. The chest that Tony would get to see shirtless during the arm maintenance because the guy always wore – . Mid-thought, Tony realized that the Soldier only ever wore long-sleeve shirts to his appointments. Tony saw him walking around in t-shirts – occasionally tank tops even. _Then why?_

 _Fortune favors the bold._ “Are you staying?”

Seeing the smug look falter did Tony’s ego some good. No response.

“Do you want to stay here. With me. While I sleep?” _Heavens above, filled with gods and who knows what else, please don’t make me have to ask again._

The Soldier’s blush deepened and spread. One of the pink patches on his neck spreading nearly to his ear and up under his jawline. Quietly, he said, “Okay.”

By this time, Tony had finished his soup and bagel, washing it down with the cooling tea. He moved toward the workshop couch, grabbing Barnes’ wrist. “C’mon, Snowflake.”

When they reached the couch, though, the Soldier hesitated. Tony looked up at him and couldn’t quite read the man’s expression.

“It’s the part of my um… _maintenance_ that you forgot.” Tony could see the Soldier ticking off a mental checklist, so he provided the hint, “The sleepy snuggling.”

Tony probably shouldn’t have felt so superior for making the Winter Soldier turn that particular shade of crimson, but he did anyway. For his part, the Soldier looked simultaneously like he’d rather be anywhere else but here and like he’d gotten something he never thought possible.

A few moments later, the Soldier had his back against the back of the couch, Tony curled up facing him, nestled under his chin in the place between shoulder and chest, with the big crocheted monstrosity Darcy Lewis gave Tony the last time she’d visited draped over them both. Tony’s hand splayed against Barnes’ chest, with the Soldier’s free hand on Tony’s hip.

Before drifting off, Tony inhaled the subtle scent of leather and gun oil tinged with metal and bay rum. Tony sighed contentedly. _Barnes was a fucking human radiator_. For all the issues, the history, the _whatever_ … right now? – this felt right. There was no place he’d rather be.


End file.
